Naoya Inoue’s Latest Title Defense: A Cautious Victory

Naoya Inoue, known as the “strongest boxer in all weight classes,” has successfully defended his title once again. On September 3rd, he secured a TKO victory in the 7th round against former IBF World Super Bantamweight Champion TJ Doheny in the WBC, WBA Super, IBF, and WBO World Super Bantamweight unification match held at Ariake Arena.

Inoue, 31, continues to advance with an impressive record of 28 wins (25 KOs). However, his performance in the early stages of the match was unusually cautious, and the end result was not as spectacular as fans have come to expect from the “Monster.”

Expert Analysis: Tom Gray Weighs In

Following the match, we spoke with Tom Gray, a British writer and former editor of Ring Magazine, who currently writes for Sporting News. Gray is well-versed in lightweight and Asian boxing, and his insights are always valuable.

Naoya Inoue’s “Quiet Fighting Style”

Facing Doheny, a powerful southpaw who is a size larger than Inoue, the Japanese boxer seemed to adopt a more subdued approach than usual. Doheny, a former world champion and veteran of the sport, was not intimidated by the big stage and fought well in the early stages. Despite being a clear underdog, Doheny won points in the third round by targeting Inoue’s body and throwing combinations.

Inoue did not appear to be struggling, but he seemed slightly frustrated with Doheny’s reluctance to engage. As an aggressive fighter, Inoue must have felt annoyed by his opponent’s defensive strategy. He likely wanted to force Doheny to throw punches and then counter when his guard was open. As a result, Inoue lost points in the third round.